Royal Challengers Bengaluru edged Mumbai Indians by two wickets in Raipur, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar doing damage with the ball and then helping finish the chase. The win sent RCB to the top of the IPL 2026 table and ended Mumbai Indians’ hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Kumar, 36, returned figures of 4/23 to lead the attack and later chipped in with a seven-run cameo as RCB completed a 167-run chase. Krunal Pandya, who made 73 in the chase, said the wicket was tricky and two-paced, and praised Bhuvneshwar as one of the best bowlers India has produced.
Pandya said Kumar had spent years doing the hard work for India across formats and still kept delivering in the most demanding phases of a match. “It is not like he bowls in the middle overs. He bowls in powerplay, which is hard; death overs are even harder,” he said, adding that Kumar has played over 200 IPL games and has bowled at an economy rate of around seven.
The numbers back up that reputation. Kumar wore the Purple Cap after taking 21 wickets in 11 matches this season at an average of 15.28 and an economy rate of 7.46, with best figures of 4/33 before this latest spell. In Raipur, he added another decisive burst to a campaign that has made a point of ageism and years of injuries look irrelevant.
RCB were 3/39 when Pandya walked in, and the chase needed both control and nerve after that collapse. He faced 46 balls for his 73, striking four boundaries and five sixes, while Kumar’s late contribution helped steady the finish. “The way he has consistently done his job silently, he is a champion bowler,” Pandya said. “A lot of credit goes to him.”
The result also sharpened the wider picture. RCB are the defending champions, Mumbai are five-time title winners, and this meeting carried the feel of a side building momentum against a team running out of room. Pandya said such games help a team build belief and bonding, and added: “We would like to see how we build from here.”
